Hi Céline,

The tailgate is at the rear of a pickup truck - the part that "folds" down so that you can load the bed (le hayon arrière). A tailgate party is an informal party held usually in a stadium parking lot before a big (American) football game. The food and drink are kept in the back of the truck, hence the name.

Hope this helps! :-)

LKL
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A station wagon also has a tailgate. I think you'd find more station wagons at a football game than pickup trucks.

Thanks a lot. Americans and their cars eh?

Anita--no, not at all! Or at least, it's a regional thing. In the South, it's very rare to see anything but pickups and SUVs at tailgate parties. Sometimes you see motor homes, if the people want to spend the night in the parking lot.

Try this site for some good info:
http://www.tailgating.com/Trivia.htm